


Wait... What?

by Rubicksmaster



Series: Harry Potter and the Year We Question Our Sexuality [2]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Drarry, Fluff, M/M, No Smut, Third Year, they're 13 y'all
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-19
Updated: 2020-04-04
Packaged: 2020-07-08 21:29:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 9,262
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19876372
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rubicksmaster/pseuds/Rubicksmaster
Summary: Harry ran, not knowing how he could name the feelings rushing through his mind, not knowing who could help him, away from the boy who kissed him and incited something more than rage.





	1. Chapter 1: Run Away

He pulled apart from Draco. His heart was either beating so fast he couldn’t feel it or had completely stopped. Draco was in shock. Harry was sure he was, too. 

“Uh.”

Harry ran. He was out the door and back in the Gryffindor common room before he knew where his feet were taking him. It was too early. Ron and Hermione would wait for him in the common room, but they weren’t alone. 

“Are you okay?” Hermione asked when he fell into the open chair next to them. They were playing chess. He wasn’t great at the game by any means, or even good, but from what he could tell Ron was winning.

“I’m fine.” Ron and Hermione glanced at each other before staring at Harry. “What?”

“You’re white as a sheet,” Ron replied. 

Harry swallowed. “I’m tired.”

They didn’t believe him, but they were willing to let it slide given the amount of people around them. They probably thought it had something to do with Sirius Black; Sirius, who was certainly somewhere near. Not the mention that the dementors, though no longer on the school grounds, were a concern. He didn’t want to pass out again and give Draco more ammunition than he already had.

Especially now that he just kissed him out of the blue.

“I’m going to turn in early.” They did nothing to mask their concern, but Ron didn’t follow and the bedroom was empty. He didn’t get changed and instead fell into bed. There was too much to unpack. It was easier to just ignore for the time being. 

He didn’t have to deal with Draco anymore. He could skirt around him in class and hope he was too embarrassed by their kiss to bring it up to anyone. He could ignore this. He would be fine.


	2. Chapter 2: The Grim

Harry had moved through the weekend in a haze. The Gryffindor match against Hufflepuff still weighed heavily on him; Oliver was running them ragged with practices and he was not excited to jump in after missing them for a week. And the way he had just passed out after the dementors appeared… Not to mention his broom was permanently out of commission. 

It was Draco's fault, and that was what made this train of thought particularly painful. Draco. He provoked Buckbeak, played out his injury, and saved Slytherin from playing an inconvenient match.

And he still kissed him.

He looked outside. It was a rare sunny day despite the frigid temperature, and he had a feeling Hermione would bring them outside so she could study in the pleasant weather. And he could guess they were still curious as to why he had gotten back so early and why he didn't want to talk about anything that happened. 

Eventually, he got himself out of his bed and joined Ron and Hermione to get breakfast. “What happened last night?” Hermione asked, jumping right into it.

“Leave him alone,” Ron replied. Hermione gave him a withering look but he ignored her, and Harry was grateful for it. He didn't know if he would tell them, or if he could, but he would do it on his own terms only.

“You're just letting it slide because of the Grim. Honestly, out of all the insane omens-”

“I don't want to bug him, actually, but the Grim is real! You can go from thinking magic is fake to accepting it in a heartbeat but the weird stuff that comes with it is too much?”

Harry rolled his eyes. “It's not the Grim,” he replied, breaking their argument up before it could go on any longer. “I'm behind on homework and Oliver is insane. Is that enough?”

Hermione looked torn between guilt and suspicion. Ron was too busy staring across at the Slytherin table. Draco was staring at them (it was easier to lump them together than admit he was looking only at Harry). “Honestly, the nerve of him. He got you into detention for a week and still wants to sit over there all smug.”

“Harry shouldn't have provoked him,” Hermione said weakly. 

Before Ron could say anything, Harry agreed, “I shouldn't have provoked him.”

Ron looked shocked, but covered it by taking a bit of his food and saying, “Well, alright then,” through a mouthful of toast.

They finished and went by the lake, enjoying the sun as Hermione reviewed her notes. “Next Hogsmeade trip is coming up soon,” Ron said.

“Please don't go out again, Harry,” Hermione said, turning her page. Harry simply grinned at Ron. 

They weren't the only students enjoying the weather. Some first years were playing games while older students simply walked alongside the lake. Harry looked around at everyone around them and spotted white blonde hair. There was no way Draco had always been this present and Harry was only noticing now, as he always had noticed Draco. He had to be following him.

“I'll be right back,” he said, fully aware that he was about to do something very stupid. He walked to some of the trees, a more secluded area, and sure enough he heard Draco make his way through the leaves and scattered twigs.

“What are you doing?” Harry asked.

“Why'd you kiss me?”

“I don't know!” 

“You don't know!?”

“Why would a guy kiss another guy?!”

“Because they're gay, idiot!”

“I'm not gay!”

“You kissed me!”

“Wait, are you gay?” Draco's face was bright red, though he wasn't sure if it was embarrassment, rage, or both. His shoulders were taught and his hands balled up in fists, his hair was mussed. He was handsome.

Harry swallowed. “Are you?” he asked again, more calm this time.

In a shaky voice, Draco replied, “What do you care?”

“Where'd he go?” They both looked around frantically. That was Hermione. As Draco began to look around for a clearer path, Harry was pulling his invisibility cloak out of his pocket. He pulled Draco close to him and threw it over them both, pulling Draco down so they were crouching. 

Draco made as if to say something, and Harry pushed his hand over his mouth. “He came over here, right?” Ron asked, stumbling a few feet away from where they were hiding. 

“Yeah, and Draco followed him.”

“Maybe he just went back to grab something, and Draco felt like bugging him.”

Hermione frowned. “Something happened.”

“Obviously.” Ron sighed. “Let's just go back and wait for him.”

Harry stayed with his hand over Draco's mouth until they couldn't hear Ron and Hermione walking anymore. Then he pulls away, painfully aware of how close they were. They stayed underneath the cloak. Harry's eyes were jumping from Draco's to his mouth. 

Draco coughed. “You have an invisibility cloak?”

Harry nodded. “It was my Dad's.”

Draco looked impressed. “And it still works this good? Even the really pricey ones quit working after a few years.” Harry shrugged. Draco swallowed. “Right, well. Are you?”

“Gay?” Draco nodded. “I don't think so.”

He looked crushed. “Okay.” He stood up, unusually quick and awkward. The invisibility cloak pulled at his shoulders and off of Harry, creating the effect of half of Draco's torso going missing. 

“Draco?”

“What about the Grim, then?”

“What?” Harry stood up and tugged the cloak off of Draco. 

“I heard you talking about a Grim. Did you see one?”

“I saw a black dog, and that's it.”

Draco put his hands to his temples. “That's a Grim, you idiot. It's serious stuff. Aren't you at least a little concerned since Sirius Black is trying to kill you?”

“Why do you care all of a sudden?”

Draco glared and stepped toward Harry, who took a step back so his back was pressed against a tree. “Listen, I might not be some selfless hero like you, but I’m certainly not evil and maybe I don't want to see you fucking dead!”

He was puffed up, angry and passionate. And so close. Harry reached out and grabbed his face. Immediately Draco was sated. “What-”

“I don't know.”

Tentatively, Draco reached for Harry's face. His wide eyes flickered from Harry's eyes to his mouth. Gently, he pressed his lips to Harry's. 

It was quick. Harry didn't want to say it was too quick for his liking, though that was the case. His mouth was soft and tasted minty. 

“Figure it out.”

“Right.” Harry pulled him in again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! I'm back quicker than I thought I'd be. I'm glad you guys seemed to enjoy the first chapter, despite how short it was. Don't worry. We're getting into plot and fluff. I hope you enjoyed. Also! I do not have my copy of the third book on me as of writing it, so I'm playing kind of fast and loose with the official timeline. If you read this and think, "Wait, this doesn't happen until a few chapters later," you're probably right! You are more than welcome to tell me; one day I will return to edit and that will be worked in. Until next time~


	3. Chapter 3: The New Normal

Weeks passed. Harry’s days were split between homework and classes, Quidditch practice, and slipping away to quiet corners for a few minutes to see Draco. 

Right now, they were sitting in a dim spot and just talking, their hands brushing together whenever they moved. “Hogsmeade trip tomorrow,” Draco said.

“I’m aware.” It didn’t much matter to him. He’d likely be in his room. “Are you going?”

“Obviously.”

“Obviously.”

“And you won’t be going?”

Harry rolled his eyes. “I can’t; my Uncle never signed the permission slip.”

Draco took a moment, and Harry could see the gears turning in his head. “I could always stay here. I don’t think most of our year will want to be inside. It’s Christmas.”

“What, and we just hang out? For a day?”

Draco rubbed the back of his neck and Harry suddenly felt guilty. “Right. Sorry. Well, I’ve got an essay to work on. Get back to your friends.”

“Right.” He watched Draco stride away. He wasn’t quite sure what they were, or if they were anything. He wasn’t even sure if he wanted them to be anything. The thought of Draco staying back to spend the day with him did give him an odd, not entirely unpleasant feeling in his stomach.

He made his way to the Gryffindor common room. “Where’ve you been?” Ron asked. 

“Just walking around.”

“Between you and Hermione, I’m gonna be left alone.”

“I’m not leaving you two alone, I just have a very busy class schedule,” Hermione replied, sticking her nose up and setting her runes textbook down. “Where have you been, though?”

Harry shrugged. Obviously he couldn’t tell them he was sneaking around to snog and, even worse, occasionally talk to Draco. They knew he wasn’t always running off to Quidditch (though that did take up the majority of his free time). And they knew his Patronus lessons with Professor Lupin were limited.

Ron and Hermione exchanged a look. “What?”

“What?” Ron asked back.

“You just looked at each other.”

“We’re worried about you, mate,” Ron said.

Hermione nodded. “Is it about Sirius Black? Quidditch? Why have you started disappearing?”

“It’s a lot to talk about, okay? It’s really nothing, I just need a break.”

“Should we stay here with you?” Ron asked.

“No, go to Hogsmeade, have fun, bring me back something if you really want,” Harry replied, hoping his forced smile at least looked genuine. “I’m fine, guys.”

Harry was, at the moment, quite the opposite of fine. Once all of the professors left the Three Broomsticks he ran, holding his invisibility cloak closer with the goal of getting to Honeydukes as fast as possible. Sirius Black was his godfather. He was their best friend and he sold them out. It made everything so much worse somehow.

He was back in his room before he realized it, and was thankfully alone. He let out a scream and slammed his head into his pillow, his whole body hot with rage. Why didn’t anyone tell him? 

He heard footsteps and he managed to get himself more onto his bed, where he could reasonably feign sleep. “Harry?”

He lifted his head. Ron, tall and awkward as ever, was standing at the door frame, clearly worried about him. “What?”

“Let’s talk about it?”

More footsteps, and Hermione skid to a stop behind Ron. “You shouldn’t have run off like that! What if your cloak fell off or if you got caught in Honeydukes or coming back in or-”

Ron gently punched her and she shut up.

Harry looked between them, his first and best friends, and felt everything surge within him all at once. 

“I want to kill Sirius Black because my parents trusted him more than anything and honestly if either of you did that to me I’d be too devastated for words and I can’t imagine how anyone can be so evil and frankly I’m tired of Voldemort always trying to kill me in one way or another and I’ve been snogging Draco and my broom’s broken so I don’t know how I’ll play in our match against Ravenclaw and I still have about twenty essays to do and-”

“You’ve been snogging who?” Hermione asked.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back my friends! I'm starting to think I'll have this finished before college at the rate I'm writing! Hopefully. Fingers crossed y'all. I hope you guys enjoyed, and hopefully the timeline isn't so egregious compared to the canon one. Until next time~


	4. Chapter 4: Definition

For their part, they handled it well. Hermione seemed more put off than Ron, which Harry was not expecting (though if you asked him why, he wouldn’t be able to explain it). “Hermione, what’s your problem?” Ron asked, surprisingly defensive.

She flushed. “I don’t have a problem.”

“You’re uncomfortable.”

“It’s fine, Ron,” Harry said.

“I’m just asking what’s wrong!”

“It’s just… It’s not really normal, is it?”

Ron cocked his head. “What do you mean?”

“Not many Muggles are… Like that. And the ones who are don’t say it, really, because people can be really cruel to them.” Hermione looked almost ashamed to say it.

Ron turned to Harry for confirmation. “I’m not really the best judge. The Dursley’s hate everyone.”

“Muggles are weird. It can’t really be a wizard thing. Most people are fine with it.”

“Most?”

Ron shrugged. “The Purebloods are a bit touchy about it because they’re stuck up about everything. I can’t imagine the Malfoys being okay with their precious son going around snogging boys.”

Guilt hit Harry like a ton of bricks. It wasn’t the same for him. Last year, everyone had hated him, and the Dursleys couldn’t possibly think less of him. As much as he would prefer nobody knew to avoid the trouble, he would survive. What would happen to Draco? What about his family?

“Right. Draco? Draco? Out of anyone?” Hermione asked.

“Really! There’s plenty of guys around!” Ron added, incredulous. 

Harry felt his face heat up. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

“Oh, he’s blushing!” Hermione exclaimed. 

“Oh no, he’s blushing. Honestly, Malfoy? The one who we thought opened the Chamber of Secrets last year? The one who you just punched in the face?” Ron was becoming more passionate as he continued, and Hermine placed her hand on his arm to quiet him before they told all of Gryffindor about Harry and Draco. 

“I don’t know,” Harry explained weakly.

“Do you like him?” Hermione asked.

“Of course he likes him, they’ve been swapping spit for a while now.” Hermione and Harry both made disgusted faces and turned to glare at Ron. “What?”

“I guess I don’t hate him,” Harry replied.

“Would you, like date him?”

“No!” 

Ron blanched. “Mate, it was just a question.”

“Of course he wouldn’t date Malfoy,” Hermione said. 

“Exactly! Wait, why wouldn’t I?”

“He’s Malfoy,” Hermione replied. “He’s a bully and he’ll probably sell you out the first chance he gets. And… Well, would you want to date a boy in general?”

“Not Malfoy for sure,” Harry replied confidently, not really feeling it. It was impossible to explain that Draco had been kinder, much to his word that he would leave Harry’s friends alone. He had extended this to professors and other Gryffindors. He was capable of growing.

“You’d date a boy, then?” Hermione asked, and it was impossible to hide the judgement in her voice.

“‘Mione, we’ve been over this, it’s fine if he wants to be with a guy. We just want it to be a better guy,” Ron said, surprisingly gentle.

“Right. I’m sorry, Harry, it’s just-”

“It’s weird,” Harry replied. She looked afraid to admit it, to admit how uncomfortable she was with the concept, and Harry said, “It’s okay. I get it. I think it’s weird, too.”

“You’re both weird,” Ron said, rolling his eyes. “Anyway, I hate to change the subject, but we should really talk about Sirius Black.”

Harry groaned.

“What’s the matter?” He was sitting with Draco, in one of their private corners. He wasn’t there, and he knew Draco would notice it. In his head, all he could think about was Sirius Black, and how he betrayed his best friends. It was tearing him apart; he was angry all the time.

“Don’t worry about it.” Generally, they would make out for a bit before sitting in comfortable silence. Today, Harry had pulled away before anything happened, and the most Draco had done was lighty grab his sleeve to pull him to sit next to him. 

“Right. Sorry.” He paled, an impressive feat for how white his skin already was, though his ears were slightly pink. 

Not wanting whatever uneasy friendship they had to go away, Harry tried to concede. “I told Ron and Hermione.”

“Told them what?”

“About us.”

“Us?”

“Yes, us,” Harry said, frowning.

The change from confusion to rage was immediate. “What?!”

“What?”

“Why would you tell them? They probably think you’re disgusting, and they’ll tell everyone about me, and, oh Merlin-”

“Calm down,” Harry said, placing a hand on his shoulder in his best attempt of comfort. 

“Just because you trust them doesn’t mean I do!”

“They won’t tell anyone,” Harry reassured. Guilt gnawed at his stomach, and he said, “I’m sorry. I didn’t think you’d care.”

Draco was white with fear, but he took a deep breath and asked, “What did they say?”

“They aren’t too happy it’s you, but it could be worse.” He nodded. “They won’t say anything. Even if they wanted to, they wouldn’t do that to me.”

“Fine. I trust you.” Harry wasn’t quite sure how to explain how hearing that made him feel. Alarmingly, he wanted Draco to trust him. Him conceding this far gave him an electric feeling. He thought about what Hermione said, and he wasn’t so sure he was firm in his choice to not date Draco. More than this could be nice. More than this would mean Draco’s family, though, and the response of their peers. And whether or not Draco could be serious about this.

He swallowed and drew back out of his head, turning his attention back to stroke Draco’s shoulder until his breathing steadied.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello darlings. I'm back and very busy. Until the 10th I'm babysitting, so I doubt there will be another chapter this week. Sorry. After that, I have a friend's birthday and then a two day beach trip. And school starts on the 26th. So... Stick with me? ~Until next time.


	5. Chapter 5: Hosgmeade

In the weeks that passed, Draco became noticeably less tense about Hermione and Ron’s knowledge of their… Arrangement? Predicament? It hurt Harry’s head to think about it. His stomach would twist and turn and he’d feel very light and heavy all at once. It was easier to focus on little things. He was starting to get grateful whenever found the time in her packed schedule to sit down and force him and Ron to do their homework. And Oliver’s dedicated practice schedule kept him too tired to stay up late thinking about Draco.

But now it was Christmas. Hermione, though studying, was taking a much needed break from classes. Oliver was home for the holidays (though Harry, Fred, and George all agreed he was practicing at home and muttering formations in his sleep). He was left undistracted with his thoughts. 

He didn’t talk with Draco about his plans for Christmas break. It was a surprise to see him at the Slytherin table with Pansy and another Slytherin he didn’t really know. “I didn’t know Malfoy stayed at Hogwarts for Christmas break,” Ron said, voicing Harry’s thoughts. 

“I thought so too.”

“You guys didn’t talk about Christmas break beforehand?” Hermione asked.

“Why would we?” Hermione rolled her eyes after Harry said this.

“I think lover boy wants to talk to you.” Harry elbowed Ron, who snickered. 

“After breakfast.”

It was easier to meet in a quiet corridor with most of the students gone. Draco came to one of their usual spots, near a window in a hallway rarely used. “I figured I’d find you somewhere,” he said.

“I didn’t know you were staying over break.” He meant it to come out a little miffed, but he sounded happy. “Did anything happen?”

“No. I just told my parents I wanted to stay caught up in my classes. Besides, Pansy is stuck here.”

“Why is Pansy stuck here?”

Draco rubbed the back of his neck. “I can’t really say.”

“Right.” Draco sat on the windowsill next to Harry. They weren’t touching, but he was uncomfortably aware that they could be. They he could reach his hand over and take Draco’s, to rest his head on his shoulder and wrap an arm across his back until they were holding each other. He looked warm, more so in the drafty castle. 

It had been silent for too long, and he reached out for words. “So, if you’re not too busy with studies and Pansy, what else are you going to be doing? Hanging out with the handsome Slytherin you ate breakfast with?”

“Blaise?” Draco snorted.

“What?”

“You think he’s handsome, huh?” Draco nudged him, and Harry leant to the side dramatically.

“Objectively, he’s handsome,” Harry replied. 

“Would you be jealous if I did spend all of break with Blaise?” Though the tone was still teasing, Draco suddenly looked vulnerable. 

“No,” Harry replied honestly. He didn’t have a monopoly on Draco’s time and he wasn’t even sure what they were so who could possibly care about that, right? But Draco, hiding it poorly, looked a bit put off, and Harry recovered with, “But I’d be a bit lonely, I guess.”

“Even with Ron and Hermione around?”

“You know what I mean.”

“Right.”

“Why did you ask?” Draco asked.

“I was curious, is all.”

“Oh. Okay. I was just wondering if you wanted to hang out or something.”

“Like this?” Harry asked. That seemed more like a give-in than anything. 

“Take me to dinner first, Potter.”

“What, you’d want to be seen with me in the Great Hall?” Harry asked. He certainly didn’t want anyone to think he was suddenly friendly with Draco. And Draco probably felt the same.

“No. But you have the invisibility cloak.”

Harry had the idea that they were probably going to agree to something incredibly stupid. “Yes. And?”

“And we both can fit and walk and stand underneath it?”

“Sure. Me, Ron, and Hermione all can fit under without our feet showing.”

“Let’s go to Hogsmeade, then. We can sneak out under the invisibility cloak. And you weren’t able to go on the last trip. I can show you around.” Draco was grinning, more than he usually allowed himself to, and his cheeks were tinted red. He was beautiful.

Harry felt awful to see him deflate. “I did go last trip. I, er, I snuck out.”

“How? There were dementors crawling around everywhere!”

“There still are dementors everywhere! How were you going to propose we sneak out?” Draco made a face very much along the lines of I-asked-you-first, and Harry sighed. “Fred and George, you know them right?”

“The Weasley twins, the Beaters.”

“Right. Well, they gave me a map.” Harry reached into his pocket and pulled out the Marauder's Map. “I solemnly swear I’m up to no good,” he said, ignoring Draco’s odd look and tapping it with his wand. Sure enough, the ink blossomed into a map of Hogwarts. “See? It shows where everyone is.”

Draco grabbed one end of it to get a better look, and Harry surprised himself when he didn’t immediately take it away. “This is insanely complex stuff. Look, there’s us. Your two friends in the tower-”

“I asked them to let me try and find you. They’re back in Gryffindor tower.”

“-and Pansy and Blaise in the Slytherin common room.” Draco took a few steps around, letting go of the map but still looking. “Amazing! It really shows everything!”

“I know. It’s spectacular. Fred and George showed me this passage, by the one statue, you know the witch?” Draco nodded. “Right. There’s a tunnel, going right into Honeydukes. From there I went with Ron and Hermione.”

“And you weren’t caught?”

“Doubt I’d be allowed to roam around free if I was.”

Draco grinned. “Let’s go then.”

“Right now?” 

“Obviously!” He grabbed Harry’s wrist and dragged him to the witch statue, leaving Harry lost in a daze of physical contact. He opened the passage and went in first, Draco close behind him, his breath on Harry’s neck. He felt like he was going insane.

“I’ll buy you something from Honeydukes,” Draco said, every word seeming to blow a soft breath that sent shivers down Harry’s spine. 

“You don’t have to.”

“Well, pay me back. I doubt anyone wants to see golden boy Harry Potter out of Hogwarts.”

“What’ll they say about you? You’re a Hogwarts student, genius.

“Yeah, from a wealthy family that often goes to Hogsmeade for shopping. Honestly, Harry, use that brain of yours. I know you’ve got one.” Grateful for the dark tunnel, Harry blushed. 

They came to the exit to Honeydukes, and Harry carefully opened the door. Seeing nobody, he slipped through, helped Draco up, and put the invisibility cloak over both of them. “Don’t want anyone seeing us coming out of the back room,” Harry whispered, dreadfully close to Draco’s ear. He was sure he didn’t imagine his shiver.

Honeydukes, though not bustling with Hogwarts students, was suitably busy to allow Draco to slip out and act as though he had been there the whole time. He perused the candies, picking out sugar quills and, at a poke on the shoulder from Harry, some fudge. 

Once they were out, Draco asked, “What now?”

“Up to you,” Harry replied. 

“We could get butterbeer?”

“Be a bit weird for you to have a drink with yourself, wouldn’t it?” Secretly, Harry appreciated how absurd Draco looked seemingly talking to himself. 

“I’ve got a plan, then. Go to the field next to the Shrieking Shack, I’ll meet you there.”

Harry trudged through the snow, wondering fleetingly if anyone cared that footprints were coming from nobody. Once he was closer to the field and away from any onlookers, he slipped the cloak back into his pocket, shivering slightly. Perhaps if he and Draco were smarter they would’ve thought to dress in warmer clothes first.

Draco didn’t keep him waiting long. In his hands were two bottles of butterbeer and a large cloak. At Harry’s questioning look, he admitted, “I bought it. I got cold.” He tossed a bottle to Harry, who caught it appreciatively. Draco vanished some snow from the ground, leaving a slightly damp patch of grass. Harry sat and looked to Draco, still standing over him, who blurted, “Wecouldshareifyouwant.”

“Okay,” Harry replied, his heart twisting. Draco sat beside him and threw one shoulder over Harry and another over himself. It was certainly bigger than either of them, but not necessarily so large they could both sit under it without half sitting on each other. Dracos right leg was slung over both of Harry’s, and he his right shoulder was pressed against Harry’s chest. “Right then. Cheers?”

They clinked the bottles together and clinked. It was chilled from the cold air and not nearly as satisfying as the warmth from inside the Three Broomsticks, yet it was the best thing Harry had ever tasted. “Thanks. I’ll pay you back when we get back to Hogwarts.”

“Don’t.”

“I can afford my own sweets.”

“I know. Just, let me buy you something. Just this once. It’s a date, right?”

“It is?”

Draco nearly leapt from Harry’s lap. “Oh. I thought-”

“I’ve just never been on a date before,” Harry said. 

“Well, neither have I!”

“I didn’t mean it like that, I just meant I don’t know what you do!”

“It means I buy you food-”

“I could’ve bought food.”

“But you didn’t because I was the only one who thought to bring money!”

“I didn’t even know we were coming to Hogsmeade until you dragged me here!”

“Shut up,” Draco said. “Anyway, I buy you food-” Draco raised his hand to Harry’s mouth to stop further protest, “-and we talk and kiss and stuff.”

“We’ve been snogging for weeks now.”

“Those don’t count,” Draco blushed.

“Fine. They don’t count and this is a date.” Draco visibly lightened. “So… are we dating?” Draco didn’t respond at first. “Have we been? I didn’t really know if we were going to call… this anything.”

“How do you feel about me?” 

“I like you a lot more than I thought I did.”

Draco smiled, but it was a small one. “What else. Because I think you’re handsome. Too handsome for your own good, and you’re so dumb! But so clever, and the combination makes me mad and I just want to snog you. I hate it! I thought you were just eye candy but I enjoy that we’ve just been talking more. I want to talk with you more. Maybe just hang out like this more often.”

Harry couldn’t look at Draco. It felt too raw, too much like something he shouldn’t be allowed to see. Being vulnerable was dangerous, it was more for the Dursley’s to tear to shreds. Harry got the idea something similar happened to Draco growing up. Yet here he was, baring his soul in a sloppy, real way.

To the snow, Harry said, “You’re good. For the past two years I thought you were absolutely evil, but I know better now. I know the you behind whatever you’ve put up for everyone else.” To Draco’s hand, which was clutching a patch of grass for dear life, he said, “I think you’re beautiful. I think you know that, you walk with a weird swagger, but you are. Even if you look a bit like a prat.” Draco let out a dry laugh, and Harry said, to his chest, “You’ve been driving me crazy. I didn’t know what we were or what you wanted, and I’m scared I might ruin your life. But I want to keep seeing you.” 

Draco grabbed the front of Harry’s shirt and pulled him into a deep kiss. He fell onto Draco, who was half on the snow and grass and half engulfed by the cloak. They were frantic. Draco was grabbing and pulling Harry as though he were falling, and Harry was doing his best to catch him. 

Draco slipped his hands under Harry’s shirt and Harry yelped and fell back. “Your hands are freezing, you prat!”

“Get over yourself,” Draco replied, moving to sprawl on top of Harry. Calmer now, Draco pressed light kisses to Harry’s face, moving down to his neck. Harry slipped his hand up the back of Draco’s shirt, and he shrieked. “You’re freezing!”

Draco tried to move away, but Harry held him tighter. “Get over yourself, Draco!” he laughed, relishing Draco’s desperate writhing. Draco bit Harry’s neck in retaliation, and, against his will, Harry let out a moan. 

They pulled apart from each other, both bright red and embarrassed to their bones.

“Right, it’s getting dark,” Draco said, despite it being noon.

“People might start to look for us,” Harry agreed, though Hermione, Ron, Pansy, and Blaise were all more than prepared to lie for their respective friends.

Harry was grateful to hide under the invisibility cloak until they were back in the tunnel. “So. Biting, huh?” Draco asked.

“Shut the hell up.” Draco snickered.

Harry pulled out the Marauder's map and, finding the corridor clear, let them both back into Hogwarts. “I’ll see you tomorrow?”

“Back at the windowsill,” Draco agreed. “Unless you want to go somewhere more private?”

“Shut up,” Harry said, punching him lightly in the gut. Draco cuffed his shoulder and they both erupted into laughter as Harry fake kicked at Draco’s knees.

“Boys!” They jumped apart to see Professor Lupin running at them. “What’s going on?”

“Nothing,” they replied.

“We were just messing with each other,” Harry said.

“Exactly!” Draco was blushing again, and Harry wanted to punch him for real. 

Lupin looked between them. “Are you two… Getting along better?”

“Absolutely,” Harry replied.

Lupin looked again but this time was stuck on the map. “What’s that?” he asked, his tone a cross between angry and anxious.

Harry did was he did best. “What’s what?” Sadly, what Harry did best was be stupid.

“The map.” Lupin stuck his hand out and Harry gave it to him without a second thought. His mouth fell open. “The Marauder's map… Where did you find this? Filch took this years ago…”

“I just found it,” Harry lied.

“You should’ve given this to a professor. If it was left lying around, Sirius Black could’ve found it. I trust I shouldn’t have to tell you why that would be bad.”

“You idiot! What if Black found it? He would’ve killed you!” Draco said, slapping Harry’s arm. 

“Mr. Malfoy, please return to your common room.” Lupin said, looking at him odd.

“Right. See you, Harry.”

“Bye,” Harry replied, never having felt more embarrassed in his life.

Alone, Lupin seemed more relaxed. “I’m glad that you reached out and became his friend. That can be the most important part of someone’s life. Thank you, Harry. I’m proud.”

“It was nothing,” Harry replied. Thank Merlin he didn’t know.

“I’m going to be keeping this,” Lupin said, holding up the map. Harry didn’t protest, though he desperately wanted to. “And remember. We’ll start your private lessons in January. Have a pleasant rest of your break.”

“Right, thanks.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I DIDN'T DIE! I am in college tho so, same diff. I've been so excited to post this chapter. It is..... my favorite, and I hope you enjoyed. I have no clue when the next chapter will be, so please bear with me. But fear not, dear friends, because I'm not abandoning this! Until next time~


	6. Chapter 6: Dementors

Harry was sitting in Professor Lupin’s office. “The only way to get rid of a dementor is a Patronus charm,” Lupin explained. “It won’t kill them. I’m not sure if a dementor can be killed. But it pushes them away, makes them have less effect over you.”

“How do you do it?”

Lupin nodded. “It’s not an easy spell. You hold your wand just so, and say expecto patronum. But you must think of something that makes you truly happy. Happier than anything, something to hold onto while the dementor tries to chip away at your sanity. That’s what makes it so difficult.” 

Harry nodded, thinking of his first broom. Something he was good at. Something people appreciated him for. “Okay.”

“I obviously wouldn’t bring a dementor here. Professor Dumbledore already banned them from the grounds, but it would be too draining for practice. However, for you to do the charm without stress acting on you would be pointless. Instead, we will use the boggart.”

Harry looked at the dresser, which was thumping and shaking, and nodded. He had suspected as much when he told Lupin he feared them. “Okay. I’m ready.”

He wasn’t. The boggart hovered over him and though, admittedly, it was nowhere near as exhaustive as an actual dementor, he was still immediately drained. 

Harry! Don’t kill Harry! 

He held onto his first time flying as best he could through his mother’s screams and choked out, “Expecto patronum! Expecto-”

He fell down to his knees as though someone knocked him down. In his head he heard a thud and a shriek. He was no longer flying. 

“Riddikulus!” Lupin yelled, and the dementor fled back to the dresser in the shape of a deflating balloon. He knelt next to Harry and put a hand on his shoulder. “Eat this. Until you feel better,” he said, pushing a chocolate bar into Harry’s hand. 

Harry did. “I’m fine,” he said, and hoped he looked better than he sounded. 

“Maybe we should’ve practiced without the boggart, first.”

“No. You’re right.” Harry stood up, only leaning slightly on Lupin. “If I can’t do it then, it won’t matter. Let’s go again.”

Lupin frowned. “Alright. Think of something happy. Whatever it was last time wasn’t enough.”

Harry nodded. If not Quidditch, then maybe… Draco? The Hogsmeade trip? Certainly that was more exhilarating than his first time flying.

The boggart was released, and it didn’t go much better. The screams were louder now, his grip on his wand and his voice both felt weaker, and Lupin stepped in sooner than last time. As Harry ate his chocolate, Lupin said, “It’s harder the longer you go. You were already weakened from the first time. It would be best to stop for the night.”

“No,” Harry said. “One more time. Please.”

Lupin, almost unwillingly, agreed, and opened the dresser. Harry thought about Hagrid telling him he was a wizard, how his life with the Dursley’s would end for the most part and he could finally live free from bullies with people who would talk to him without fear in there eyes. Three meals a day. A room without locks. Possessions. Clothes that fit.

“Expecto patronum!” he yelled, thinking of everything in tandem, now. Quidditch, and how he was allowed to have fun. Ron and Hermione, his first friends. Draco.

A wisp of blue leaked from the wand.

And the screams returned, and Harry was felled instantly. His mother’s voice dragged him down, and he slipped into it, somewhere close to willingly.

“Well done Harry!” Lupin exclaimed, and the boggart was gone. Harry finished his chocolate bar, his head clearing but his energy gone. Lupin handed him another. 

“Was that a Patronus?” he asked, his words slurred.

“It was a start,” Lupin replied warmly. “Get some rest. Next week we’ll try again.”

Harry walked back to his room feeling much less proud. He was tired. Sore. His head was throbbing in pain. And his mother’s voice was ringing in his ears, though he wasn’t sure he was as upset about that one. 

Ron was awake waiting for him, and Hermione was awake doing homework as far from him as possible. They still hadn’t spoken since McGonagall took the Firebolt. It was a sore spot neither of them were over (though possibly nobody was as distraught to Oliver, who had apparently taken to crying in the shower again). 

“How’d it go?” he asked, setting down a quill. They had a potions essay due. Harry hadn’t even started it. 

“Fine,” Harry lied. “I’m tired though. I think I’m turning in for the night.”

“I’ll come with you,” Ron said, and they left without looking at Hermione. 

Harry fell asleep only after he thought about his mother’s voice. For the first time since they had died, he was able to hear her. 

Though Ron was happy to accept that Harry had a boyfriend, he was incredibly against spending any time with Draco in any capacity. And, given they weren’t on speaking terms with Hermione, Harry was left alone with Draco.

“How’d it go?” Draco asked.

“Fine,” Harry lied. Draco didn’t pick up on it, or if he did he didn’t ask.

“It’s good that you’re learning how to get rid of them. I wish I could,” Draco shuddered. “I don’t faint, but I don’t feel good, either.”

“I’ll teach you as soon as I figure it out,” Harry replied. “You just have to think of a happy memory. It’s the hardest part to hold onto a memory when they’re sucking out all of the joy from you.” Draco looked at Harry, an odd look on his face. “What?”

“I don’t know if I have any happy memories,” he answered.

“What about your family? No expensive, exotic vacations? No extravagant Christmases?”

Draco rolled his eyes. “No, we definitely do those things. But… Something is off. It’s my father’s fault. Everything he did when he was younger and-”

“You don’t have to say it.”

Draco gave him a thankful look. “Well, exactly. And he hasn’t been a saint recently. What he did to the Weasley girl-”

“Ginny.”

“Is that her name? I never knew, and I doubt he did, either.” Draco looked forward, almost vacant, to the wall. “He’s not an evil man, but he’s capable of evil. And that’s all anyone sees. And then they see me, and they connect dots, and the good families tell their kids to stay away from me, and my only friends are playing their cards right to cozy up to a pureblood family.”

“All of them?”

Draco shrugged. “Well, Crabbe and Goyle aren’t smart enough to. And Pansy and Blaise have their own issues.”

Harry nodded. “I understand.”

For a little bit, they were silent. Harry wasn’t quite comfortable, and he wasn’t sure Draco was, either. So he said, “Did I tell you about the family I live with, yet?” knowing full well he hadn’t. Draco said as much. So he told him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahaha.... I'm posting this instead of studying for my physics final, which is tomorrow and I need to get a 100 on to get a B-. I love you all. Thank you for the comments. Until next time~


	7. Ravens, and Claws of Another Kind

Quidditch was miserable, and Harry was beginning to resent even being on the team. Surely anyone with a broom would be better than he was on the school brooms, which moved at clunky, uneven speeds and vibrated uncomfortably at certain heights. This was it. This was his worst moment. Going to practice and trying to catch the snitch only for the broom to revolt entirely. Oliver’s wails in the showers could be heard by all of Gryffindor.

“Honestly, he’s being overdramatic,” George said after one practice, leaning on his broom. Harry nodded, though neither of them meant it. They were all just as hungry to win the cup, especially after the luck they had the past two years.

“You’d think he’d be grateful Harry’s alive!” Fred replied.

The mood of the Gryffindor team soured that of the whole house, and Hermione was doing her best to not pay attention to it. Though, as Harry saw the piles of books surrounding her as she did homework, she likely didn’t have the capacity to care about it. 

“I can only care so much about how busy she is,” Ron said. “She insisted she take every class.”

“She hasn’t missed any of ours, right?” Harry asked. It was hard to tell now that they weren’t talking, but he was certain she was always there. 

“Don’t think so. She’s probably getting extra work from the other classes. Like an independent study.”

He wondered, idly, what Ron did when he was off with Draco, and one day asked. “No offense, mate, but I’ve seen how Fred and George act with you, and I don’t think they’d hang out with you that much.”

“Prats,” Ron said. “I’ve been checking up on Ginny or hanging out with Seamus and Dean.”

“How is Ginny?”

“Better,” Ron replied, but he looked worried. “She’s more shy than I’ve ever seen. I think everyone’s a bit scared of her still. She’s got a friend in Ravenclaw though, so that’s something.”

“Good. She might as well root for them next match,” Harry said. 

“Dean and Seamus are just as worried about the match. You’d think they’ve been placing bets.”

“I’d bet they are,” Harry said. “I told Draco to put his galleons on Ravenclaw.”

Ron snorted. “What’d he say?”

“He told me he already did. He made a killing off the Hufflepuff match.”

“He’s a prat, too,” Ron said. 

Harry looked at Ron, thought for a moment if he really wanted to say it, then said, “We should all hang out.”

Ron laughed. “Oh no, you’re serious,” he then said, sobering immediately. “Why?”

“I don’t know,” Harry replied honestly. “I just want you all to get along better. He is my boyfriend.” Harry dropped his voice low, making sure nobody was near enough to overhear.

Ron groaned. “Mate, you know you’re like a brother to me, and I am completely fine with your choices. But please don’t make me spend any time with Malfoy.”

“I won’t force you to do anything,” Harry replied. “Just… Next Hogsmeade trip, maybe we should actually go somewhere together and be civil. We could even bring Hermione?” Ron didn’t respond, but made a wishy-washy gesture.

Speaking of Draco, he really had placed three galleons on Ravenclaw winning, and promised to take Harry out somewhere if Ravenclaw did indeed win. “If Gryffindor wins, you aren’t getting anything,” Harry said.

Still, Draco could see that Harry was stressed about the match, and placed his hand on his back. It felt like Harry had opened something between them when he talked about the Dursley’s. Never had it put it so plainly before. He got the feeling Ron knew exactly what they were, and had the sneaking suspicion Ron had asked his family to put together something for Harry for Christmas and his birthday knowing that they would give him nothing. He didn’t feel as confident with Hermione, but knew she understood he wasn’t fond of his relatives. But he had never said it. Never said Hogwarts was the first time he wasn’t hungry, or that he grew up under stairs, or he never had clothes or glasses that worked properly until Hagrid fetched him.

To erase the subtext and make it real was horrifying, but Draco had listened and said nothing, only resting his head on Harry’s shoulder.

Yes, he wanted Ron, Hermione, and Draco to get along. He was certain they would if Draco continued to be real instead of aloof.

So he spent weeks feeling nauseous and despondent, regretting as a day passed by and brought him closer to the inevitable loss of the match. He got no further in the dementor lessons, too constantly upset to conjure a happy memory. 

When McGonagall returned his broom, he nearly cried. Dear Merlin, they had a chance. No, much better than a chance, they would win.

“I got it back!” Harry shouted as he came back into the common room. Ron, George, and Fred all whooped, and Oliver fell to his knees and let out a sob. He looked at Hermione, who was glaring at him, and he felt a pit in his stomach. He grabbed Ron and brought him to her table, which was overflowing with books.

“We’re sorry,” Harry said. “It was perfectly safe, though.” Hermione stared Harry down, then turned to Ron.

“Maybe you were right to turn it in,” Ron admitted. “But I still think it’s a reach to murder someone with an expensive Christmas gift.”

Hermione stood up and pulled them both into a hug. “I was right, but you’re forgiven.”

They separated and smiled, and fell right back into place like nothing had happened. Hermione was, in fact, doing far too much, but, “I made time to go to the Ravenclaw match already, so don’t worry. Besides, I dropped Divination and that’s made it easier.”

“Bless you,” Ron said. Trelawney’s fun as an oddity to giggle at had worn off long ago, and Hermione’s outburst in class was the most worthwhile thing to have happened so far. 

“Hermione, how are you going to all of your classes?” Harry asked. 

“I go to the classroom, and then I’m done,” Hermione replied. Harry got the hint and didn’t push it. 

Going into the Ravenclaw match, he felt better than he ever had. Oliver was repeating the amount of points they had to win by and the current team standings. Harry was fine. He had the points memorized weeks ago, and with the Firebolt he knew it’d be a cince. 

The Ravenclaw girl was a pretty girl named Cho Chang. She was an excellent Seeker with a good broom, but so was Harry. And he had the Firebolt. 

They lifted into the sky, and Harry relished how smoothly the Firebolt responded to his movements. He knew after their last practices that his team would excel. Oliver was performing better than he ever had, and Angelina, Katie, and Alicia had them up to an 80 point lead. 

The Gryffindor crowd was going crazy. Ravenclaw came back by 30 points. Harry was circling the pitch in tandem with Cho. 

Then he saw a gold glitter, and he was off. 

Cho didn’t stand a chance.

It was as though they won the Quidditch cup in the Gryffindor common room. Harry managed to slip away from the celebrations and sneak down to one of the spots he and Draco met up at. Sure enough, he was waiting. 

Draco tossed a small bag at Harry. “Here. My winnings.”

Harry felt the weight of the bag. “Merlin. How much did you bet?”

“Ten galleons on you. I had a feeling you’d win.”

Harry hoped it was dim enough to hide his blush. “Thanks,” he murmured.

“Is Gryffindor done partying yet?” he asked. 

“Absolutely not. I don’t think they will be for a few days.”

“Well, hang on to it. Slytherin’s going to win, you know.”

“Don’t make me laugh.” 

Harry came back to Gryffindor tower feeling euphoric. The feeling lasted a few more days before Ron woke up shrieking that Sirius Black had tried to kill him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah, you may have noticed I was functionally dead. Over winter break, my laptop broke, and then the spring semester started and I was doing 6 classes with work on top. Mandatory quarantine has given me a lot of free time. Have two chapters today as a treat :). I hope I will have time to update semi-regularly. Until next time~


	8. The Three of Us

“He was standing over me with a knife! The curtains were slashed and, and I think he thought I was Harry because when I woke up and screamed he was gone! ” Ron said, barely breathing between sentences. All of Gryffindor was awake, and Hermione was next to Ron, holding onto his arm. Harry was somewhere between panic and feeling nothing. Neville, Dean, and Seamus were all wearing varying expressions of morbid excitement.

McGonagall had been awoken by the commotion and was listening to Ron’s explanation. “I don’t see how he could’ve gotten into the common room,” she said. She turned to Neville, Dean, Seamus, and Harry. “Did anyone else see him?”

They all shook their heads. “I woke up because Ron was screaming, but I didn’t see anything.” Neville said.

“I swear he was here,” Ron said.

‘Perhaps it was a nightmare, Mr. Weasley?” McGonagall said.

Percy, stuck in the usual gravitational pull he found himself in when anyone of authority was around, was behind McGonagall, apologizing fervently. “I am so sorry about my brother causing this commotion over a dream,” he bit, staring down Ron.

Ron stared back and said, “I swear it wasn’t a dream!”

“Professor, we could ask Sir Cadogan if he let anyone in? That’s the only way anyone could get in,” Hermione said.

“We certainly will, Miss Granger,” McGonagall said, and she went outside the common room to speak with the portrait, Ron directly behind her and everyone else standing as close to the entrance as possible. “Sir Cadogan, did you let Sirius Black into the common room.”

“Aye, of course!”

The silence was deafening. Then a few people screamed, and everyone started to talk until McGonagall and Percy managed to quiet everyone. “Sir Cadogan! How could you let him in?”

“I had to. He knew the password. Had a whole list of them.”

“Which one of you wrote down every single password,” McGonagall hissed, turning to face the Gryffindors, her anger emanating off of her. Perhaps it was Neville’s red face and downcast eyes that made everyone turn to look at him.

“I couldn’t remember all of the passwords,” he whispered.

He was given detention for the rest of the year. All of Gryffindor slept uneasily that night, and the rest of Hogwarts was near riotous in the morning, and Ron had turned his story into how he single handedly fought off Black, and the commotion woke everyone up. Harry and Hermione shared tired looks.

“Weasley!” They all turned to look at Draco, Pansy, and Blaise.They were outside between classes, mostly alone. Harry felt guilty at the unease of seeing three Slytherins at once. 

“What?” Ron asked, puffing up and standing taller. It was more awkward than any run in with Slytherins had been, including when they pretended to be Crabbe and Goyle. 

Harry waved at Draco. “Hi Draco.”

Draco turned red. “Harry.” Pansy and Blaise glanced at each other, blank faced. Draco coughed and focused back on Ron. “What happened last night?”

Ron glanced at Harry and launched into his tale. “I woke up, and Sirius Black was standing over me. He had a knife, and had torn up the curtains. He mistook me for Harry, because it was dark and we were all sleeping. When he saw me, he tried to kill me so there wouldn’t be any witnesses. So I stood up and fought him off-”

“You fought off the wizard who blew up eleven people?” Blaise asked. 

Draco looked at Harry, who shrugged. “I wasn’t awake, I don’t know what happened.” 

“Right.”

“I can’t imagine they look anything alike, even in the dark,” Pansy said. “Weasley’s too pale, and Potter’s hair doesn’t look red in any light.”

“He’s insane,” Hermione said. “He would’ve killed everyone in that room.”

Pansy couldn’t look at Hermione as she replied, “You’re right. But why not go after Potter first?”

“Why not finish the job,” Harry agreed. 

Draco paled. “Right. I’ll meet up with you guys later then?” 

Pansy rolled her eyes and Blaise grinned. “We’ll be in the common room,” Blaise replied, and they walked back towards Hogwarts.

“We’ll go,” Hermione said, and she grabbed Ron’s hand. 

“You guys can stay,” Harry said.

“They can?”

“We can?”

“Yes, everyone can stay,” Harry said. 

Draco shifted a bit and raised his chin. “I’m glad Weasley saw Sirius Black.”

“My name’s Ron.” Draco grimaced, and Harry was beginning to regret most things.

“We’re all worried about Harry,” Hermione said slowly. Harry was beginning to regret things more. “Maybe we can all work together.”

“No,” Harry groaned.

“Keep talking,” Draco said. 

“No!” Harry said. 

“We could make sure someone’s with Harry at all times,” Ron said, the ultimate act of betrayal. “Hermione and me are in all of his classes already.”

“And I’m with him whenever he’s not with you,” Draco said. “And I’ll be on the pitch next Quidditch match.”

“And next Hogsmeade trip, we can all stay around Harry,” Hermione said. 

“We’ll have to meet up somewhere secret,” Draco said. “I don’t know what my father will say…”

“Right, Merlin forbid you hang out with Mudbloods and blood traitors,” Ron said.

“Don’t talk about my father like that,” Draco said.

“You know what?” Harry said loudly, seeing them both reach for their wands. “I’m gonna go somewhere alone with my boyfriend!”

Hermione took Ron’s arm. “Yes, let’s leave Harry alone with… Well, come on.” Harry watched as Hermione dragged Ron away. 

“If I’m going to be nice to him, he’s got to be nice to me,” Draco said, clenching and unclenching his hands and staring angrily at where Ron had been.

“I know. He should. But you haven’t been a saint in the past, and they both have a bit of pent up anger,” Harry said, grabbing one of Draco’s hands. “It’s not your fault, and they don’t know that you and your dad are separate people, yet.”

“Well, make sure they know we are.” He glared at Harry with no malice, and Harry couldn’t stop him as he went back to Hogwarts.

Harry groaned. Maybe it would’ve been easier if Sirius Black had finished the job last night.

The situation was not helped when Hagrid told them that Buckbeak had a second trial, but it didn’t look good. “They didn’ even listen to me,” he said, his eyes watery. He, Ron, and Hermione were all in his hut, expertly avoiding the snacks he had offered. 

“We’ll help you,” Harry said. “Anything we can.”

“You’re all too busy,” he said. “You can’t be comin’ out here at night, and Hermione’s got too many classes.” 

“We’ll manage,” Hermione said. 

They stayed until he was marginally better, and left knowing they shouldered the weight of Buckbeak’s life. “Just tell your boyfriend to make his dad lay off,” Ron grunted.

“He can’t,” Harry replied. In truth, he hadn’t spoken to Draco about it, but had an idea of where things would go. “His dad wouldn’t listen.”

“Well, his dad’s a prick.”

“Can’t he at least say that he wasn’t that badly injured?” Hermione asked.

“He could try,” Harry conceded. Anything was worth a shot. The only one that had any actual time was Ron.

They were all strained and tired. Ron was still mad at Draco and the Malfoys in general, Hermione was exhausted, and Harry was just tired.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And there's the second chapter for the day. I hope you guys enjoyed, and I cannot begin to tell you how much I appreciate all the love this has gotten. Whenever I get kudos I get all warm and fuzzy and gay. Stay safe, stay healthy, and I hope to see you all again soon. Until next time~

**Author's Note:**

> Hey everyone! This was quicker than I thought! Hopefully you all read part 1, so now onto part 2. This will likely be significantly longer than the first fic. As I was brainstorming, I was curious to see how a relationship between Draco and Harry would impact third year, which would best be done from Harry's perspective. Hopefully you all don't mind this short starter (it picks up, don't worry). Thank you for reading. I hope to be back again soon. Until next time~


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